How did the USIU-Africa Financial Aid Program impact your life?
My father passed away in 2000 and educating my siblings was a challenge for the family. I was already accustomed to the USIU-Africa culture and education system and therefore the lack of financial resources was not going to stop me. I approached USIU-Africa’s Financial Aid Office and was advised on several options.
One viable option was that I needed to maintain a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.5 and above; therefore qualifying for Vice Chancellor’s Grant which would pay up to 25 per cent of my school fees. I immediately wrote a letter to the Financial Aid office explaining my situation with reasons why the university needed to consider me for that grant. After a
few weeks, I was asked to collect my response and I had qualified. I was so ecstatic, I cried.
Share briefly your journey after USIU-Africa?
After I graduated from USIU-Africa, I went for an internship program at the Kenya National Assembly (Kenya Parliament) for a full year under the USIU-Africa and East Africa Parliamentary Institute (EAPI) Programme which stirred in me a passion for our country Kenya. After my one year at the National Assembly I worked for several donor funded governance programs that had interests in parliament and now devolved governments.
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Damaris Ndegwa: USIU-Africa Financial Aid Beneficiary
Damaris Ndegwa-Mwai is a USIU-Africa alumna who graduated in 2004 with a BSC in International Business Administration (Finance). She is a USIU-Africa Financial Aid beneficiary and is currently the Procurement and Logistics Specialist for USAID/DFID’s Agile and Harmonized Assistance for Devolved Institutions (AHADI) Project based in Nairobi.